Hello Yogis.

In this newsletter I will be attempting to describe the benefits of non-attachment when you are trying to be disciplined about something, and how you can be both disciplined but at the same time non-attached to the outcome. This will help you if you keep losing motivation in life.

If you have been attending my free online Saturday morning meditations, you will have heard me mention some of these aspects.

If you have not yet joined us, why not come along next week.

You might ask, why be disciplined at something that you are not wanting to attach too?

Firstly, what is discipline? Discipline is to remain committed to doing something even when you don’t feel like being committed. Even when things are hard, even when results are slow or non-existent, you keep going, you keep practicing, you keep attending, you keep building! You work through the struggles, you approach struggles from different angles!

When you are trying to achieve anything in life. Whether it be a beach fit body, a new ability to speak a different language, to start a new career or to embark on a spiritual practice to better your life, you will need discipline to get you through the times when you can’t be bothered. When you’re tired, when it’s the last thing that you feel like doing!

What is non-attachment?

When we are attached to things, our essence and wellbeing depend on it’s presence and the rewards of that presence. We feel upset, unworthy, unsuccessful and often frustrated or even angry; should an outcome we were attached too, fail to arrive, despite the efforts we have made.

Why does this matter?

If you think about how you feel when you are working hard to achieve a goal, to obtain something, or when you have saved hard to buy something. What does that do to your motivation and your energy? It can stop it in it’s tracks, it can leave you feeling unmotivated, and it can bring about feelings that don’t serve you at all.

When you feel like this, your progress in life, or on any particular path is diminished. Eventually, you may even be asking yourself, “why bother at all?” This is exactly the mindset that eventually lessens the quality of the life you live yourself, and it also diminishes the qualities you bring to the world.

So how does non-attachment help you when you are trying to be disciplined at something?

When you are committed to a goal, to a path, to a passion, or to serve in some way, if you are only committed because you are expecting a particular outcome, you may find yourself stepping back from the path, the goal, the passion you had committed yourself to, too quickly if you don't see the results you were hoping for. You also may find that your frustrations destroy what you have achieved from the journey you have taken, thereby undoing all the good work you have put in so far!

When you commit without being attached, it doesn’t mean that you stop caring, it means that you remain present, with care but that the success you feel is based upon your effort, rather than the outcome. This helps you then to stay in your flow, with your passion for your journey and in alignment with any goal you have. You remain in your divine power and can weather any setbacks with grace and presence.

This practice is also part of a spiritual journey of liberation.

Our greatest attachments are to 5 basic needs in life and they play out through Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs*

1 Physiological Needs: The essential biological requirements, such as air, food, and sleep, that keep the human body alive.

2 Safety Needs: The desire for a predictable and secure life, including protection from danger, financial stability, and health.

3 Love and Belongingness: The emotional need for connection through friendships, intimacy, and being part of a supportive group.

4 Esteem Needs: The pursuit of self-respect and the desire for status, recognition, and appreciation from the people around you.

5 Self-Actualisation: The personal drive to reach your full potential, grow your talents, and find true self-fulfillment.

In the aim to fulfil these needs, you obviously become attached. Now that attachment can begin to hinder your journey, as much as it can aid it. You may lose sight of the main goal and get stuck on one aspect. This can mean you can't see the bigger picture and your decisions and therefore potential outcome can be hindered.

Of course, if you were in the road, basic survival is paramount and you would make every attempt to get out of the way of a truck, but if you were triggered so strongly, you became paralysed with fear, you may not be able to react and to move out of the way. This is a drastic picture but the concept plays out every day, through our actions and interactions.

Your nervous system is constantly being triggered into responding so that your sense of self, in the ways listed in Maslow's Hierarchy of needs above, remains safe.

When you remain non-attached, it doesn't mean that you don't mind if the truck hits you, as this would be the extreme form of non-attachment and I am not talking about that so deeply here. We all want to be around to move through this gifted life and gather the knowledge it brings us, so of course in this example, you would save yourself. I am using it as an example of the lesser looked at responses we have to daily situations that all actually stem from exactly the same place as the example above, but don't really warrant such an immediate life saving reaction. They can be just as paralysing to a situation than the freeze response in the scenario above. I am talking about being able to witness your reactions and to act from a different place than your knee-jerk and limited perspective.

What is that place I am referring to?

In spiritual philosophy, we hold 2 aspects of self!

We hold the ego, or material self, that is linked directly to these fight and flight responses. And we also hold the 'God' aspect or the Paramatma or Supersoul, which is the expression of the supreme and infinite consciousness that we all hold as an eternal self. It is the witness aspect of self that notices our actions, our thoughts, our reactions and it observes the free will of our material self or ego, playing out through our decisions and passions.

By remaining un-attached to an outcome, you are more likely to be able to action your disciplined approach from this more balanced place, rather than the reactionable ego aspect. As a result you remain calm, you make decisions from your higher awareness, thereby seeing the bigger picture. It helps to keep your body and mind, your emotions and your reactions calm and centred. You can channel your energy in a way that serves the situation for the highest good.

Sometimes we are heading for a goal that is just not meant for us. When you keep hitting walls and facing obstacles, your higher aspect will know when to persist and when to change direction. Your spiritual ability to discern becomes more active in your every day life. And you're less likely to persevere on a path that is not in alignment.

I have used this concept many times in my life, and it has served me well, and honestly kept me moving forward, while remaining strong and healthy in body and mind.

If you have any questions about this topic, please do get in touch.

I love hear back from you!

Carrie-Anne.

*Source